NJSEA Now Working To Attract Events Across State, Closing In On F1 Deal

New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority President & CEO Wayne Hasenbalg said that a recent law passed in the state gives the organization a "new role, collaborating with other state agencies to attract major sports and entertainment events to all corners of the Garden State, not just the Meadowlands," according to Linda Moss of the Bergen RECORD. Hasenbalg said of the inaugural F1 Grand Prix of America, planned for '14, "We're really close to securing that. It's really looking like it's going to happen. ... When it starts, it will be a 10- to 15-year commitment that New Jersey will have for each of those years." He said that the state also will "host the U.S. Special Olympics" next June in Mercer County. Hasenbalg added that the NJSEA will be "working more closely" with the New Jersey HOF to promote the state. The NJSEA currently only manages Izod Center, and Hasenbalg said that management of the venue "will eventually transfer to a private operator" (Bergen RECORD, 7/12).